Rachel Samstat

Rachel Samstat is the main character of Heartburn, and the narrator of the novel. Rachel is a married mother of one, and seven months pregnant. Rachel lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband Mark and their son Sam, and believes herself to be happily married until she discovers that Mark is having an affair with Thelma Rice, and acquaintance of theirs.

Rachel is a seemingly easy-going woman in her thirties, a cookbook author and television personality. Her cookbooks are narratives, with recipes included, almost as an aside, to further tell the stories that she writes. Rachel loves her work, and her family, and frequently finds herself thankful that she has been so blessed.

This all changes when Rachel discovers that Mark is having an affair. Devastated with the revelation, Rachel runs to New York, and her old therapy group, partly because she is unsure of how...